How would you do this trip? rtw? series of one ways?

[RooFlyer]

It's JohnMs story and experience, but the answer as far as I'm aware is 'yes'.

 

[JohnM]

The "AU/NZ - EU/ME transit Asia" rule won't be going away when the PER-LHR flight starts. Every QR AU flight and the QF LHR flights for the last 5 years have all not touched Asia (as defined by the oneworld fare rules), yet the rule still remains.
MEL-PER-LHR and SYD-SIN-LHR will both be deemed to "touch Asia".
The only way to get a xONE3 and touch the southern hemisphere is to use QF63/64, the LAN/QF flights between SYD/MEL/AKL and SCL and the LAN flight to South Africa.

I must admit that I interpreted the $2K saving as being the result of the itinerary being classified as as a DONE3 rather than what I took to be a DONE4 generated by the tool. Actually, it seems that it may have been a DONE5 generated by the tool and a DONE4 over the phone, given that I'm going Australia-S America-N America-Europe. Anyway, there was a significant fare mismatch that implied it was more fundamental than variation in taxes and charges.

I haven't got the base/taxes & charges breakdown that the tool provides. Maybe I can dig it out post-hoc from the booking?

I looked at RTW fares on the QF website but they have removed the explanatory information and example itineraries which included the base fares for xONEx's. Selecting RTW fares at QF now links to the OW tool.

This is the itinerary: SYD-SCL-LIM-GRU-DFW-SJO-PHX-DEN-MIA-JFK-LAX-DOH-DME-DOH-LHR-MEL-PER

(LHR-MEL is QF10 post the change via PER).

 

[Quickstatus]

@JohnM what is the current price of DONE4 and AONE4? Origin SYD

 

[JohnM]

@JohnM what is the current price of DONE4 and AONE4? Origin SYD

I don't know. QF used to have on their website the list of fixed base prices for xONE3-6, together with some example itineraries. That is no longer the case. When you click on 'Round the World', it links to the planning and booking tool on the OneWorld website.

The easiest way to check now I guess is to dummy a simple DONE4 into the tool and then price it. Then convert it to an AONE4 and price that.

Alternatively, a travel agent may know the base price, to which you could expect to add probably $2K or so in taxes and charges, depending on where you go.

As a rough guide, for a maxxed-out DONE4 you are probably looking at around $13K.

Hope that helps.

 

[Himeno]

@JohnM what is the current price of DONE4 and AONE4? Origin SYD

ex-au
DONE4 $11999
AONE4 $17399
+tax

 

[fifo]

Is this info available for other airlines or ex locations? And the rules?

I assume you need to book a xonex at the earliest one year before the last flight of your itinerary?

 

[JohnM]

ex-au
DONE4 $11999
AONE4 $17399
+tax

Is there still a website somewhere that you can point to that lists the base fares ex-Australia?

I am keen to see the base price difference between DONE4 and DONE5 to try to work out my recent pricing windfall. At a base of $11999 for a DONE4, I got a massively good deal - the taxes and charges were <$500 over that - but my routing indicates that I should have a DONE5 because of a deemed 'touch Asia'.

It will also be useful to bookmark for future reference.

 

[JohnM]

Is this info available for other airlines or ex locations? And the rules?

I assume you need to book a xonex at the earliest one year before the last flight of your itinerary?

This may help re. rules:
https://www.oneworld.com/documents/...ules+doc/8ed08d57-69e3-4d8b-bd69-d346ec820edf

 

[fifo]

Thanks....when I've played with the tool, in say eu, it gives me a lot of flights via London and no directs. Is this common to force you to eat up your segments?

 

[JohnM]

Thanks....when I've played with the tool, in say eu, it gives me a lot of flights via London and no directs. Is this common to force you to eat up your segments?

Not that I've ever been conscious of but my choices may not have encountered that. Often I've entered Europe at MAD from SCL and gone on from there (eg. to HEL) and then to LHR and out of Europe.

 

[equus]

Is there still a website somewhere that you can point to that lists the base fares ex-Australia?.

Expertflyer has it. Not sure if you can get to it without a paid subscription.

Go to fare information, select an origin and make the destination the same. Choose an airline (QF works to get the OW fares), and then select point of sale and cabin.

 

[JohnM]

Expertflyer has it. Not sure if you can get to it without a paid subscription.

Go to fare information, select an origin and make the destination the same. Choose an airline (QF works to get the OW fares), and then select point of sale and cabin.
View attachment 118768

Thanks - I have an EF subscription. Never thought to look there.

 

[RooFlyer]

Expertflyer has it. Not sure if you can get to it without a paid subscription.

Good stuff, thanks. Could you, or some-one post the DONEn base prices for, say, QR, AA and AY?

 

[Himeno]

Is this info available for other airlines or ex locations? And the rules?

I assume you need to book a xonex at the earliest one year before the last flight of your itinerary?

Base fares used to be available on the oneworld website (and someone made a look up excel spreadsheet that pulled data from that site for easy reference), but the info was pulled a few years ago due to many markets requiring all in pricing and there is no way to know what the total taxes/surcharges will be without knowing class, route, airline and stops.
Now the only way to get base fares are to use a site like expert flyer, somehow get the tool to give you what you want and price the trip, or ask an agent.

links to the rules for oneworld RTW products are in the information section of the product page on the oneworld website (they are also available in expert flyer).

all oneworld members should have the same pricing for each departure point, but some airlines update prices more slowly then others should there be price changes.

You can book an xonex when the first flight/s (up to the first intercontinental flight) becomes available for booking in the ticketing airlines booking system (330-355 days out depending on airline). The last flight needs to be within 365 days of the first flight. This means it is possible to have the last flight almost 2 years after booking date. However, airlines prefer (and the online booking tool requires) that each flight be booked with a date rather then open dated as the rules allow (flights after first intercontinental departure may be open dated), so in practice, most people book once the last flight in available for booking.

An option is to put in dummy dates for any flights that are outside the booking period, maintaining time for planned connections/stopovers, then change the flight dates as the booking for the date you want become available (date/time/carrier changes are free, routing changes are $125US per change + any tax changes. Changing a connection to a stopover is a routing change.)

 

[Himeno]

Is there still a website somewhere that you can point to that lists the base fares ex-Australia?

I am keen to see the base price difference between DONE4 and DONE5 to try to work out my recent pricing windfall. At a base of $11999 for a DONE4, I got a massively good deal - the taxes and charges were <$500 over that - but my routing indicates that I should have a DONE5 because of a deemed 'touch Asia'.

It will also be useful to bookmark for future reference.

I got a good deal a few trips ago as well. CX Japan, who I was booking with via email, first confused IAH and IAD and claimed I had 2 US transcons when only 1 was allowed. I cleared that up, then they confused the then applicable US 2 class flights book into A on a DONEx rule and booked me in A (first class) on HKG-JFK.
Got a 15 hour CX transpac in First class instead of Business. Was expecting someone to notice and rebook it into D right up until the flight departed.

 

[fifo]

How are sc awarded for xonexs?
I'm hoping for a donex and quite q few sc to get me a whack of the way from lts to ltg .

Based off the original carrier booked through or off the metal flown?

 

[JohnM]

How are sc awarded for xonexs?
I'm hoping for a donex and quite q few sc to get me a whack of the way from lts to ltg .

Based off the original carrier booked through or off the metal flown?

In large dollops! I think I mentioned above that I typically earn around 1600 SCs from a 16-sector DONE4 or 5.

SCs and FF points just follow the normal rules, so use the QF calculator to work it all out in advance: Frequent Flyer - Flying Qantas & Partner Airlines - Points Calculators - Earning Points

There will be some occasions where you may get the option to choose either the airline of the metal or a codeshare (eg. a QF codeshare on an AA aircraft). I think SCs stay the same but FF points will be greater if you can use the QF codeshare.

 

[Himeno]

I think SCs stay the same but FF points will be greater if you can use the QF codeshare.

You earn based on the marketing code of the flight. If you have an QF codeshare on AA, you will earn based on the QF chart. If you have an AA codeshare on QF, you will earn based on the AA chart.

How are sc awarded for xonexs?
I'm hoping for a donex and quite q few sc to get me a whack of the way from lts to ltg .

I have about 21k lifetime SC. ~75% of that is since 2010 when I started doing yearly a DAS13+DONE3 trip.
The majority of the rest is from the LONE4s and LGLOB26 I had between 2006 and 2009.

 

[fifo]

Awesome.. so what real effect does the booking carrier or start location have on am xonex?

Qr are imo a bag of coughe airline. They screw on sc, jack prices ex DOH up ridiculously, not to mention terrible oneworld lounges in DOH and alnost empty QR only lounges.
I'm sure if they can find some way to screw with xonexs they would.

 

[RooFlyer]

Awesome.. so what real effect does the booking carrier or start location have on am xonex?

Qr are imo a bag of coughe airline. They screw on sc, jack prices ex DOH up ridiculously, not to mention terrible oneworld lounges in DOH and alnost empty QR only lounges.
I'm sure if they can find some way to screw with xonexs they would.

Ooops! I'm a fan of QR (in J) but you likely have much more experience with them .

According to a post up-thread, a DONEX can be ticketed on any carrier's stock; I have no experience with that but I think if you book through the planning tool it will be ticketed to the first carrier. My TA has always ticketed to QF, as that's always my first leg. It shouldn't matter that much - the flights will be those you book, no matter who issues the ticket - except maybe price, AND if there is some issue - you'll have to argue with the ticket issuer; I'm not sure who would be worse - QF, BA or QR!! I asked earlier if anyone with Expert Flyer could give us the prices for DONEXs for several different airlines, including QR.

In my up-coming DONE4 I'm having a nice SC earn by going DFW-DOH on QR (160 SCs)